One of the designers who made it happen

This is fantastic work!! We were blown away when we first saw it, and continue to be in awe of the design!

- Ybabsagev

How New Author started their print or packaging design journey

Overview

My name is Shannon. I am a mother and for the last 11 years I have been a teacher in an elementary school. Working with children and their families and seeing the strong need for education to continue in the home has inspired me to write this book helping parents understand how they can naturally infuse education into play. The book introduces the ideas in a friendly, conversational way and shows parents how they can use regular household items and daily routines to help their kids learn while they play.

This is the first book I have written, although I hope to write more if this goes well! I am excited to share my ideas and hope to inspire parents to want to use my ideas and to come up with their own. Overall, I just want parents to see how easy and fun it can be to blend learning and play. Thank you for helping me grab readers' attention and make them want to open the book to find out more!

Tell us a bit about who you are and the people you reach

I expect my audience to be parents of children ages 3-11 years old who are opened to reading about ideas on how to incorporate more learning into their child's daily home life. I wrote my book to appeal to all kinds of parents (busy, young, old, rich, poor, and of all ethnic backgrounds), and I wrote it to be non-threatening and non-judgmental. I would say my book fits into the categories of both family/parenting and education. It might even fit in with self-help books if you are talking about making personal changes or improvements in parenting. This is not a home-schooling book! This is not a "how-to-parent" book. This is a book for parents who want to be an active part of their child's life, encourage them to learn, engage in activities with them, and foster the kind of environment that embraces fun and learning at the same time. This book contains ideas for play, checklists, helpful hints, and free material suggestions. I define terms used and brake down chapters by daily activities (bath time, meal time, the daily commute, outdoor play, etc.).

Requirements

Title: The Smart Home
Subtitle: The Natural Way to Educate through Play

Written by: Shannon Pretorius M.Ed

For the back cover:
"This is a book about the everyday routines and rituals that your family engages in and how you can inject educational vocabulary, activities, mindset, and play into those routines naturally, with little or no cost.
I wrote this book because I am a working mother and an elementary school teacher and I understand the precious value of your time with your family. As a mother, I want to make sure that I give my child the experiences that will help her grow, learn, and thrive in life, school, and every journey in which she partakes. As a teacher, I want my child to feel comfortable and enjoy the learning process that will be an ongoing part of her life. I feel that the more I can do with her naturally at home, the more she will embrace the idea of lifelong learning and the easier it will be for her."

I am picturing a simple, clean cover. Feel free to play with color but not too overwhelming overall. Images are great. Something related to kids or play would be appropriate. Make it fun but professional to appeal to parents of all backgrounds. I don't want this to look like a school book or a text book because it is not one.